1. Field of Invention
This invention is in the general field of casino gaming and, more particularly, is a variation of Pai Gow Poker.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pai Gow Poker (referred to hereinafter as Pai Gow) is a variation of poker that is based upon a Chinese domino game. Pai Gow is played with a standard deck of fifty two cards augmented by a joker. The joker is a wild card which can be used either as an ace or to complete a straight, a flush or a straight flush. Pai Gow is played by a dealer and as many as six players. The dealer is referred to as a bank. Each of the players compete against the bank.
In a formal Pai Gow game, there is an elaborate procedure that includes a throw of three dice to decide which one of seven players is to be designated as the bank. Unlike the formal Pai Gow game, in a casino, the bank is an employee of the casino.
Prior to play, each player posts a wager. Thereafter, seven cards are dealt face down to each player and to the bank.
The players divide their seven cards to form a five card player hand and a two card player hand that are referred to as a back hand and a front hand, respectively. The rank of a back hand is the same as in poker, with five aces having a higher rank than a royal flush. In the front hand, any pair has a higher rank than any two unmatched cards, but no other combinations are possible.
A player's back hand must outrank the player's front hand. Thus, the player's front hand can be a pair of aces only when the player's back hand includes a minimum of two pairs.
After the players' hands are formed, they are placed face down and the bank's seven cards are exposed. The bank divides the seven exposed cards to form a bank back hand and a bank front hand in a manner similar to the forming of the players' hands.
After the bank's hands are formed, the players' hands are turned face up, thereby exposing the players' hands. The bank's back hand is compared to the back hand of each of the players. Correspondingly, the bank's front hand is compared to the front hand of each of the players. A winner is determined in accordance with the following rules:
1. When both of a player's hands outrank both of the bank's hands, the player wins. The bank pays out an amount equal to the player's posted wager.
2. When one of the bank's hands outranks one of the player's hands and the other of the bank's hands is outranked by the player's hand, there is what is referred to as a push; no money changes hands.
3. When both of the bank's hands outrank both of the player's hands, the bank wins. The dealer takes the player's posted wager.
4. When the bank and the player have one hand of equal rank and the other of the bank's hands outranks the other of the player's hands, the bank wins. The bank takes the player's posted wager.
5. When the bank's back and front hands are respectively equal in rank to the player's back and front hands, the bank wins. The bank takes the player's posted wager.
One undesirable aspect of Pai Gow is that approximately 40% of play results in a push. Additionally, players are not rewarded for being able to form hands of unusually high rank.